Silverstone’s futuristic Wing building was again the venue for this year’s Movers and Storers Show on 21-22 October.

 

This is the second year the event has been held at the 30 million pound building which, during the motor racing season, plays host to world’s top motor racing teams as they battle for the F1 championship. Organiser Animo Events reported a 16% increase in attendance over last year with 864 visitors passing through the doors for the free exhibition.  Charlotte Parslow from Animo said: ”There was a terrific buzz in the air and a lot of senior people from the removals and self storage industries attended.  There was a feeling that the show had finally come of age.”

 

Although the glamour of Formula One had long since departed there was still plenty to see in the spotless  F1 pit area, with displays of some of most beautiful removals vehicles in the county alongside the latest models of fork lift trucks from Jungheinrich and Toyota. The Fox Group brought two vintage vehicles, that attracted a lot of attention and brought a touch of nostalgia to the display. There was plenty of fun too with a pit stop challenge, where teams could try their hand at wheel changing against the clock, and the ever-popular Packer of the Year Contest.

 

Meanwhile up on the first floor, the UK’s top removal companies and suppliers welcomed guests to their stands, providing a unique opportunity to talk to people from every aspect of the industry, all under one roof. 

This year saw the return of The Learning Zone with presentations and debates on a wide range of subjects from marketing and vehicle compliance, to working with family members and the rise of women in the moving industry.  One of the most popular sessions was ‘Moving day mayhem – surely something can be done?’ championed by Moving etc… The debate brought together a panel of leading industry figures - including Jonathan Smithers, Vice President of the Law Society; Edward Goldsmith, Chairman of the Society of Licensed Conveyancers; and Christopher Hamer, The Property Ombudsman - to discuss issues such as same day exchange and completion, late handover of keys and the amount of notice given to movers.  Matt Faizey from M&G Transport hosted the debate which gave everyone the opportunity to put their questions to the panel and express their concerns to those with the influence to bring changes to the process.

Tuesday evening was party time at the Snoozebox which this year had a Halloween theme with pumpkins, spiders and monster mash the order of the night. There was also a silent disco which proved a great hit and gave exhibitors to do some informal networking while others danced the night away. 

On Wednesday it was standing room only for keynote speaker Paul Evans who talked about his long career in the moving industry and how from humble beginnings he developed a multi-million pound empire including his recent acquisition of Momentous Relocation and his successful venture into the nightclub industry.

As the show drew to a close it was time to announce the competition winners.  Matthew James Removals won the 2014 Truck Show with its beautifully prepared Scania road train, while the team from MGR Removals lifted the trophy for Simpson Packaging Packer of the Year. Olivers Removals took the prize for the fastest wheel change in the Pit Stop Challenge. 

The Movers and Storers Show will again be at Silverstone next year on 15 -16 September.

Photos from the top: Universal Packing,pit stop challenge and packer of the year; Anglo Pacific, DKV and Haywood & Sons Ltd; Basil Fry & Company, Pound Gates Insurance and Charlotte Parslow presenting the Truck Show trophy to Matt De-Machen for his Scania road train.

The rise and rise of women in removals

One of the most popular panel discussions in The Learning Zone focussed on the increasing number of women now working in the moving industry and what can be done to encourage more to join. Judith Bennett from Britannia Bennetts, Angie Boreham from the Fox Group and Emma Lanman from all female moving company Van Girls, took to the stage to talk about their experiences and what they thought women can contribute to what is still a male dominated business.

Emma Lanman started Van Girls two years ago and has found that in many cases women are the ones who book removers and felt more comfortable having a female surveyor calling to do the survey. 

There was a general feeling that the acceptance of female removers was to some extent a generational thing and that younger people - those under 30 - were less likely to be sceptical about women movers. 

When it came to attracting more women to the moving industry Judith Bennett suggested that schools could do more to make girls aware of the opportunities, especially for those who do not wish to follow an academic career. 

Asked what advice she would give to a female joining the industry Angie Boreman said that women needed to be thick skinned, determined and to give as good as they get. Emma Lanman agreed saying that having worked as a firefighter before starting Van Girls she certainly needed to be thick skinned and encouraged women to maintain a strong feeling of who they are and not to compromise themselves.

Picture: Women in removals panel, left to right: Judith Bennett, Angie Boreham and Emma Lanman.

 

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